Innocence Lost
by Jillie062
Summary: [Rewrite of Adventures of the Tainted] [Takeru.Hikari.Yamato][Sora.Taichi.Mimi] There was a reason they were sent to the Digital World as children.  As they are now, they can't even save themselves.
1. Prologue

_Innocence Lost_

_Prologue_

* * *

Author's Note: So this is the rewrite for Adventures of the Tainted. There are a lot of differences between this fic and the first one; it's darker and more confusing. Um, I just want to mention that this is a Yamato.Hikari.Takeru triangle, mainly. There's also a bit of Taiora, Daikari, Michi, Sorato, Hikimi, Kenkari, Kouyako, Koumi, Kenyako, Daiyako, Takori, Hiyako, and others. Some of it is one-sided, some of it will come in small little pinches, and some of it will be genuine. What I make the final couplings has yet to be decided.

Ages:

Iori: 17

Hikari, Takeru, Daisuke, Ken, Miyako: 19

Mimi, Koushiro: 20

Yamato, Taichi, Sora: 21

Jyou: 23

* * *

There is a tale, known by few and told by even less, or an epic war waged by the horrifyingly powerful Demon God, Daeo. Daeo was the ruler of the Dark World, a universe full of creatures of evil and despair. It was his proclivity to take control of the four main universes; the Digital, Human, and Light Worlds, as they were deemed most commonly, as well as his own. Using the power of his council, Daeo and his six Demon Lord minions opened up the barrier between the worlds. He broke into the Area of Neutrality, a sort of doorway to the other worlds.

Daeo gathered followers in the Digital World before he ventured through the barriers. The Digital World was only in its early years of existence, having just barely spawned off from the excess of the Human World. Even in its origins the world was full of chaos; Daeo watched as beast digimon and human digimon fought for supremacy in the land, taking care to find the most vial and ruthless of them all. His strongest servant was Dagomon. Dagomon was a sea animal fashioned after the fertility god of an ancient civilization in the Human World. A group of Hangyomon were loyal to Dagomon, and when Daeo commanded Dagomon to pass into the Area of Neutrality, they followed him into it.

Fortunately for the other worlds, brave leaders stepped up to quickly prepare a defense against the Demon God. Gennai, Akio Hikaru, and Huanglongmon combined their powers to block Daeo from leaving the Area of Neutrality.

In an attempt to break free, Daeo threw the Great Demon Lords through the barrier and into the Digital World. They landed on the other side half dead and converted into digimon. Huanglongmon and his holy beast digimon took what was left of the Demon Lords and trapped them in the most remote regions of the Digital World.

Stranded in the Area of Neutrality, Daeo released his anger towards Dagomon and his minions. The Area of Neutrality became the battlefield between the two parties. Little is known about this war other than that the two were equally opposed; Daeo had more power, but he was alone in his battle as all his followers were on the other side of the newly created barrier, and Dagomon had his legion of Hangyomon willing to fight and die for him. The collision between the two morphed their prison into the Dark Area. The land was soiled with darkness, uniting and binding the sea animal to the ocean. Daeo disappeared and a weakened but seemingly triumphant Dagomon lived with his Hangyomon beneath the surface of the water.

Of those who know the story, some say it was hundreds of years ago. Others say it was little over a decade ago. The truth is that the war was fought when the time passage was out of alignment between each universe. The Digital World has passed the story down to a select few for nearly a thousand years; the Human World has had less than twenty years to hear the tale.

* * *

He choked back a cough as he forced himself up the stairs, wanting to vomit from the smell of stale smoke and one could only imagine what kind of decaying animals. Sidestepping a discarded beer bottle, he faltered, flailing his arms out wildly in an attempt to regain his balance.

"What are you doing here, Takeru?" a voice asserted.

Takeru straightened, dropping his arms down to his side and dropping his gaze towards the floor. His elder brother sat comfortably against the wall, legs drawn up so he could rest his elbow on his knee, a cigarette held between his teeth.

"You should really try and quit."

"Did you come all the way here to tell me that?" he murmured carelessly, raising himself to his feet with a casual grace.

"No."

"How much do you need?"

"What?"

"Did I stutter?" Yamato spat. "How much—do you—need?"

"I didn't come here for money," Takeru answered, insulted.

"You came here for something."

"To speak to you, actually."

"Oh, my, then all means, speak away. But please be quick, Sora's on her way over." Yamato raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Isn't she dating Taichi."

Shrugging, Yamato dropped the cigarette and scuffed it out. "Not this week."

"You're sick; Taichi loves her, you know—."

"And if she felt the same way, she wouldn't be on her way here, now would she?"

"What happened to you, Yamato?"

"I grew up, and it's about time you did too. She's been gone for years now, and you need to stop living in this fairy tale where true love wins in the end. She didn't love you. She left."

Takeru ran a hand through his sun-kissed locks, trying to hide the pain he was feeling. "Why did you have to bring her into this?"

"Because she's what keeps you from moving on. How often do you even hear from her—?"

"Don't."

"How many times has she visited since she left—."

"Stop it."

"Damn it Takeru! Look at yourself! You're pathetic."

"Yeah? And what are you?"

"A realist," Yamato answered coolly.

"Yama!" a shrill came from the end of the hall.

Yamato grinned, shoving Takeru aside as he moved forward. "Sora."

"Oh, hey Takeru. What brings you here?"

"Not much, Sor. I was going to invite my dear big brother to our little reunion, but never mind."

Yamato's eyes narrowed. "Very mature, Teeks. It just so happens that Koushiro already called me about it."

"Then come if you want," Takeru answered softly. "I don't really give a damn."

"Hey!" Yamato shouted, grabbing onto Takeru's sleeve as the younger blond turned to leave. "What's wrong with you?"

"Fuck off, Ishida. I don't even know who you are anymore."

Yamato stood, silent, as he watched his brother's retreating form disappear from view. "Well, that was…awkward," Sora offered after a moment. "What's his problem?"

"Who cares; are you ready to go?"

* * *

I'm trying my best to stick to Japanese names for everyone, including the digimon.

Japanese : English

Dagomon : Dragomon

Hangyomon : Divermon

Huanglonmon : Fanglongmon -- a digivolution of Azulongmon; he leads the holy beast digimon

Dark Area : Dark Ocean


	2. Chapter 01

_Innocence Lost_

_Chapter: 01_

* * *

Author's Note: College is great; lots of papers all in a small time frame really sucks. And yes, this is extremely short, but I was supposed to be writing a paper. Winter break approaches, and I should get some stuff up then.

* * *

She felt like such a jerk. She blinked heavily, trying to push the distraction from her, trying to focus on the words being spoken to her. She was being so inconsiderate, so rude—.

"Something on your mind, Hika?"

"What? Oh I'm sorry Jack, I just didn't sleep well last night, I just can't seem to focus."

"It's okay, we can do this later."

"No, I said I would help, I'm fine, really."

"Nah, I can come back," Jack answered playfully, closing his book and setting it beside him. "You've just given me an excuse to come see you again _later_."

"Haha," she replied, shaking her head at him, dislodging a few strands of hazelnut from behind her ears. "I'm really sorry. I'll be ready to study after dinner. See you around seven?"

"It's a date," Jack winked, drawing attention to his bright blue eyes.

Hikari stood, ignoring the comment, and gathered the mess of papers spread out on her bed. She smiled softly as Jack left her dorm room, but her lips tightened into a frown the moment he closed the door.

"What's wrong with me?" she muttered aloud, rubbing her arm as her body suddenly became chilled. She'd felt like this before, like something was happening that she was connected to but not aware of.

Like something horrible was going to happen.

* * *

It's been almost twelve years since the worlds have fallen into alignment. Few can say much in regards to what's happened, except that a powerful being known as Demon has hidden in the blackened village and on the plundered beach of the Dark Area for over eight years. He has shared the world with Dagomon since his banishment by the Chosen Children from the Human World because of his attempts to use one of their own to harvest dark energy. No one knows where he originated from, or why he didn't join forces with Dagomon, but it was no stupefaction when a second war erupted in the Dark Area.

* * *

The battlefield was a utopia in Demon's eyes. Full of death and pain and resentment, he felt right at home standing in the center of it all. All around him were the bodies of Hangyomon, cut and bruised in more places than one could count. The scent of decay was potent in the air, hanging heavily around everything as it danced and twirled and fought with the smell of the sea. The sand was stained black with the accumulation of blood; the sky was dark from thick clouds blocking out the grey sun.

Demon had stood at the water's edge, shouting insults and dares to the Undersea Master, coaxing him to leave the safety of his palace. To protect his pride, Dagomon had answered the challenge, sending his servants forward. One hundred fell after the first attack, their bodies littering the beach. Not one other would go further after witnessing Demon's immense power, so Dagomon was forced to join the battle personally.

Dagomon's power had weakened in the years he spent locked up in his palace, his only focus had been finding a way to the Human World. When Demon unleashed his 'Flame Inferno,' Dagomon was badly injured. He realized at that moment that he was no match for this new threat. He panicked, turning to run, exposing his body to Demon. Demon moved with inhuman speed, rushing into Dagomon and thrusting his fist through the Undersea Master's abdomen. The water digimon fell dead against Demon's cloaked figure.

The body was hung directly above the cave entrance that led to the palace so that the blood would drip down to the arched doorway.

Digital bodies did not burst into data in the Dark Area.

It was a satisfying sight, the steady drops of blood that trailed down from the hanging body of the Undersea Master. Demon let a hollow laugh slip passed the cloth wrapped around his face, a dark, empty sound that made the surrounding creatures cringe.

The surviving Hangyomon fell to their knees in submission.

* * *

"Sora, what are you getting all dolled up for?"

"Mom, I told you, I'm going to Koushiro's. The chosen are having a reunion or whatever."

"Tonight?"

"No, Mom, I'm preparing three days in advance."

"You can't. Your father is coming over for dinner."

"Well, have fun with that. I'm busy. I'm not breaking my plans for him."

"Sora! He's your father! How can you talk like that?"

"My father? That's a joke. I'm not coming to dinner and you can't make me."

* * *

Japanese : English

Dagomon : Dragomon

Hangyomon : Divermon

Demon : Daemon

Dark Area : Dark Ocean


	3. Chapter 02

_Innocence Lost_

_Chapter: 02_

* * *

Author's Note: I won't pretend to have an excuse for not updating in forever. But these stories have to get done and even if no one is left to read them, I'm going to finish damn it!

"Grab me another when you go over there, won't you sweetie?"

"Promise not to call me sweetie anymore and it's a deal."

"Oh, you aren't any fun," she whispered coyly, pulling her leg up and inching it across his lap as her fingers slid into his hair, gently pulling him to face her.

"Sora, you're going to be a problem tonight, aren't you?" he demanded, irritated. He'd only been at the party for a moment and he already felt like it was a bad idea.

"Lighten up, Ken, won't you?"

Ken sighed and pushed Sora's leg away from him so he could get off the couch. He sulked away, running his hands through his hair in silent annoyance. "Why did I bother coming?" he whispered under his breath, fast approaching the bar counter where the alcohol was being stored. He raised an eyebrow at the assortment, shocked that so many kinds were present.

"Taichi is always prepared," Koushiro said, noticing the amazement in Ken's eyes. "I'm pretty sure he stays stocked up what with all his stress."

Ken only nodded, grabbing himself a beer and some fruity drink for Sora. "Where is Taichi, anyway? Shouldn't he be entertaining his guests?"

"I think I saw him wonder into _her _bedroom a few minutes ago."

Ken swallowed painfully. "Do you think she's coming back?" he murmured.

"Honestly? I don't see it happening. She doesn't even come back for summer vacation or Christmas anymore." Koushiro sighed seeing the way Ken's eyes burned with sadness. "Then again, what do I know?"

Ken glanced around the room for a moment. Sora had turned her attention to the other half of the couch, and poor Jyou was trying to keep her hand from creeping up his thigh. Miyako and Takeru were playing bloody knuckles at the kitchen table and taking shots each time one of them vocalized their pain.

"Well, we sure know how to party," Ken sighed. "What happened to us?"

"I don't know," Koushiro answered softly.

Again Ken found himself wishing he hadn't bothered showing up. Some of the others had been smarter in declining the invitation. Daisuke was too busy being a delinquent, Iori ceased all contact with the other chosen when he was the only one left in high school, Mimi was on the other side of the world, and Hikari, well Hikari had made it pretty clear that she wanted nothing to do with any of them.

"Me either," he agreed, deciding to save a very uncomfortable Jyou from Sora's wandering palm. "Sora, take this."

"Why, aren't you a gentleman," she teased, unnecessarily rubbing Ken's wrist before taking the drink from him.

"Hey Jyou, didn't you promise Miyako you would talk to her about med. school applications, or something?"

Jyou's face lit up with relief, and he mouthed a "thank you" to Ken. "Uh, yea, we should do that," he answered, standing immediately and walking towards the kitchen, leaving Sora by herself.

"Okay, hurry back!" Sora shouted, shaking her drink at them and spilling it down her arm.

* * *

Taichi's fingers traced the features of Hikari's abandoned teddy bear. Sitting on her bed he wondered how many times Hikari had called to him during the middle of the night because she had a bad dream. How many times he had comforted her, tucking her under her blankets and putting the bear beside her. This bear had always comforted her, always made her feel safe enough to fall back asleep, even if she had woken up in a cold sweat. She used to say that a piece of Taichi was in that bear, so she felt safe.

When she left, the bear was left behind.

Taichi was left behind.

Taichi sighed, picking the bear up from its resting spot and hugging it against him. He hadn't had verbal contact with Hikari in two and a half years. Sometimes she called up their mother, but the conversations never lasted very long. But still he was jealous that his mother heard from her, the best Taichi got was a card and a gift on Christmas or his birthday. He hated his parents for allowing Hikari to leave on her own, for letting her stay away. He hated Hikari for forgetting that they were siblings.

"What did I do?" he asked, making the teddy bear face him. "What did I do?" he repeated, now shaking the bear in his hands. "Why did she go?"

The bear went flying against the wall and fell rejected on the opposite side of the room. "I need another drink."

Exiting the room, Taichi found his way to the tequila and, rather than pouring himself a drink, began taking swigs from the bottle. Maybe if he got alcohol poisoning he could take a break from life for a few days. The idea was fleeting however, one bottle of tequila barely got him drunk enough anymore.

Taichi could see Yamato enter the apartment, as cool as ever. Sora noticed, too. "Yama," she shrieked, giddy from intoxication, "Yamato!" She jumped from the couch and threw herself on him before he could even get his shoes off.

"Sora, you're drunk," Yamato scolded, "it's not even ten yet."

"Oh hush, you. You're not going to ruin my fun. Besides, we can get you nice and drunk, too."

Furious, Taichi stalked over to them. "What the hell, Sor?"

"Oh, Taichi! I forgot you were here, I…" Sora stopped, suddenly covering her mouth. "I'm going to be sick!" She ran from both of them, barely reaching the toilet before the contents of her stomach were staring back at her.

Yamato shrugged Taichi's glare off. "She's your girlfriend; shouldn't you go hold her hair back or something?"

Seething with anger, Taichi resisted the urge to punch Yamato and followed after Sora.

Sora and Taichi had made up since she had last gone to Yamato's, though the alcohol seemed to make her forget. Taichi didn't know that Sora and Yamato hooked up every time Sora called the couple off, but he didn't trust Yamato enough not to suspect it.

Yamato wandered into the kitchen to find the rest of the guests gathered there. A brief greeting was passed between everyone, including a piercing glare from Takeru.

Miyako excused herself to take a phone call, only to return a moment later looking upset. "I have to go," she whispered, "Akinari is expecting me." She stared into the boys' blank faces, resenting not having another girl with her. Someone perceptive enough to tell that she didn't want to leave, that she didn't want to go home to Akinari. But, just as she refused to acknowledge this desire to herself, no one in the room would vocalize it. "Well, okay, bye."

She turned her back to the echoes of goodbye, her throat burning, the bruises on her back suddenly stinging as a reminder. "Tell Taichi bye," she mumbled over her shoulder.

Ken stared at Miyako as she shrunk out of the apartment, chastising himself for not commenting on her demeanor. He had in the past and it had led to Miyako's anger and a time when she wouldn't speak to him. Apparently he couldn't see Akinari's charm like she could.

He looked around him, seeing himself surrounded by half drunken idiots made him feel suddenly ill. "I'm going to head out, too."

"What? Why?" Takeru demanded. "We've only been here for a couple of hours."

"Yea, well, I'm tired. I'm going to see if I can walk Miyako home and then crash."

"Lame," Takeru criticized.

"Sorry, man. I'll catch up with you later." Ken waved a goodbye before departing, hoping to catch Miyako before she got too far. He looked back into the apartment as he shut the door, wondering what had happened to the Chosen Children, when they had fallen apart.

"Miya, wait!"


	4. Chapter 03

_Innocence Lost_

_Chapter: 03_

* * *

Author's Note: Busy, busy, busy. Blah. Sick, sad, sick, sad, sad, sad. Blah. But I made it extra long as an apology.

* * *

It was seven on the dot when Hikari heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she called.

"Hey, there pretty lady," Jack said as the door opened and his curly haired head appeared.

"Hey Jack," she answered, grabbing her book and rising from her computer chair. "Did you have dinner?"

"Yep, just finished. I snuck you out a lime jello as I was leaving. I know how much you like them."

Hikari felt a smile spread onto her lips. "That was very thoughtful. Stealing from the all-you-can-eat café." She widened her eyes and brought her hands up to her chest. "I hope no one saw you."

Jack grinned coyly. "What can I say? I take risks. They call me Mr. Risk-taker."

Hikari thanked him and put the stolen goods in her refrigerator. She decided it was best to get right to work, hoping that she would be able to concentrate now. She climbed on her bed, leaned against the wall, and opened her book on her lap. "Shall we?"

Jack looked mildly disappointed, but he sat down and opened his book as well. They studied for the better part of an hour before Hikari's roommate came back.

"Hey Melanie," Hikari said, looking up.

She grunted something that sounded like a greeting before shutting the door with unnecessary force. Hikari gave Jack an apologetic look; Melanie didn't really like Hikari very much, or any of her friends, or almost anyone else for that manner.

"Okay, where were we? Right, Erikson's stages of development."

They continued working as Melanie settled herself at her computer, opening and slamming her drawers closed as she looked for things that she didn't really need.

Jack managed to get through the stages, and to recall what they had reviewed about Freud's theory beforehand, before there was another knock on the door.

"It's open," Hikari said, raising her voice over the music Melanie had put on.

Mimi pushed the door open, saw Melanie at her desk, and made a face at Hikari. Her eyes fell on Jack a second later. "Oooh, what am I interrupting?" she beamed, throwing her honey colored hair over her shoulders.

"Studying," Hikari answered. "What's up?"

"I was coming to kidnap you, get you away from," she stopped speaking and pointed at Melanie to finish her sentence. "But I can wait. I'll just peruse Facebook, if you don't mind my sticking around."

"Of course," Hikari said, not noticing that Jack looked less thrilled to be entertaining more company.

"Awesome," she said, pulling out the chair from the desk. She paused, frowning slightly. Turning quickly, she crossed the room and dipped her hand into a plastic cup on the top board of Melanie's desk. Pulling out a set of headphones, she dangled them in front of the computer screen. "Be a dear?" she asked politely, dropping them on the desk and turning away.

There was a knock on the open door. "Jack, my boy, there you are. Hikari, it's always a pleasure to see you. Would you mind if I stole Jack away? I've been looking all over for him. When he didn't answer my calls, I thought I'd check here."

Hikari shot a glance at Mimi, who had stiffened in her seat. Michael didn't notice her until he gotten a few feet into the room. "Mimi, hey, I didn't see you."

"Michael," she responded, not turning to look at him.

Jack seemed to sense the tension in the air. He reached for his bag and put his book away before standing. Hikari stood as well, placing herself in front of Mimi. "Sorry Michael, I put it on silent when we were studying."

"Yep. No problem, I get it." His eyes went from Jack to Hikari back to Jack.

"We're having a party at the house in a few hours. You should come," Jack said to Hikari.

"Tonight? I don't know—,"

"Come on," Michael chimed in, "it'll be fun."

Mimi moved behind her. "She'd love to go," she said calmly, draping her arm around Hikari's shoulder. "I'll be sure to get her there."

* * *

It wasn't a particularly nice evening; the air was especially cool for early September. It had been a long walk for Taichi guiding Sora from his apartment to her own. She had decided to be difficult about a quarter of the way there, and thought it would be fun to try to run and hide from Taichi. Unfortunately, Sora was too drunk to walk very well on her own and he quickly thought to lock his arm around her waist to keep her near.

Taichi fumbled with the keys for a moment, trying to toss them up and catch them with the proper key sticking out. He succeeded in jabbing his palm three times before resorting to using his nose to nudge the right key forward.

"Taichi, you're such a dork," Sora spoke critically. Her words had a certain drunken slur to them however, which Taichi just blocked out.

He put the key in the door and turned it, feeling Sora's weight shift when he twisted his arm. He straightened her while leading her into the apartment. "Come on Sora, that'a girl. We've just about made it." Taichi sighed deeply.

"That's what you think," Sora corrected, poking his nose for emphasis, "but we've really just begun!"

"Sora?"

Sora wrinkled her face and tried to stand straight. She giggled as Taichi gripped her shoulder to keep her from sliding sideways. "Oh Mom, you're still up?"

Taichi gave Mrs. Takenouchi an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, we all had a little too much at my place."

"You said you would be at Koushiro's," she spoke, ignoring Taichi and focusing her glare on Sora.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want you to come looking for me," Sora answered.

Taichi nudged Sora gently, and then a little harder when she did not respond. Frustrated, he bent down and slid his arm behind Sora's knees and lifted her in his arms. She protested, kicking her feet out, but Taichi carried her into her room all the same.

He emerged a few minutes later to find Mrs. Takenouchi in the same spot. "Never thought my daughter would get piss-ass drunk before midnight," she spoke to herself. "How much have you had?"

He shrugged. "About a bottle. Tequila. Just a small one. It doesn't really get to me the night of, but I feel it in the morning."

"You should sleep on the couch," Mrs. Takenouchi suggested, though she did not seem open to negotiation.

"I've got to get back. People are still at my place."

Mrs. Takenouchi's lips twitched. "Fine. But call me when you get home so I don't have to worry about you passing out in the street."

Taichi gave a quick salute before heading towards the door.

* * *

As he expected, Taichi's company had cleared out before he returned to the apartment. Everyone except Koushiro, that is, who had been keeping himself busy by collecting the garbage and washing the dishes.

"Surprise, surprise," Taichi spoke as he walked into the kitchen, catching the redhead off guard. "You really should stop cleaning up after me, Shiro, I'll start to expect it."

Koushiro rolled his eyes. They'd had this conversation before. "I wanted to make sure you made it back okay. How was Sora?"

"A nightmare. She thought it would be fun to play hide and seek."

"Yeesh. Well, that doesn't sound all that fun."

"No, it really wasn't," he agreed, walking away and collapsing onto the couch.

"And you?" Koushiro continued, taking a seat on the opposite end.

"You know me," he answered, shrugging.

"Yeah, I do, which is why I'm asking."

Taichi sighed. He was reminded of why he barely sought out his friends anymore. They were all so nosey. "I'm fine. If I chug a few glasses of water and pop a vitamin, I might not have a splitting headache all day."

"Why do you do this to yourself?"

Taichi paused, and stared at Koushiro for a moment. This was more prying than usual. He was expecting a scolding and to be shooed off to bed. That was a question he had to think about. "Because," he began finally, "it keeps me from dreaming." He sighed again, dropping his head into his hands. "During the week I'm so busy with work that I don't have them, but on the weekends, alcohol is the only thing that keeps my head empty when I go to bed."

Koushiro could tell Taichi was ready for the conversation to end, but his curiosity drove him to press further. "Dreams? Like nightmares, you mean?"

"No. I guess they're more like memories…of Hikari. Mostly I dream about when I was sucked back into our world and I got to see her. It always ends with her holding my hand as long as she can as I'm being pulled back to the Digital World. The look on her face…she was so proud of me and so scared I wouldn't come back."

Taichi paused, feeling rather stupid. It wasn't really something he was proud to say he was running from. "And for some reason, throughout the dream, she keeps telling me that she believes me because she had already been to the Digital World herself."

"When's the last time you talked to her?"

"Not since the first Christmas she came home for. She called my mom last month to say happy birthday, but I was at work at the time."

The redhead rubbed his eyes, exhausted. "You do know that it isn't your fault she left, don't you?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes I think that it must be. Otherwise why wouldn't she ever call? Or answer my e-mails? I get a birthday card and a Christmas card, with no return address. My mom won't tell me her address or what her number is. I don't think my dad even knows." Taichi's throat started to sting as he finished speaking, as if he were going to cry.

"Well," Taichi said, standing, "I think that's all the deep conversation I can handle. I'm going to take a quick shower and then get to sleep."

"I can crash on the couch if—."

"Thanks, Shiro, but I'm okay. You don't need to babysit me."

"That wasn't what I meant!"

"I know, and…thanks. Good night."

And with that, Taichi turned and walked away, ready to leave the world behind him until morning.

* * *

"Do I have to?"

"Yes. Yes you do."

"But I really don't feel up to it."

"Hika, you told Jack you were going_._"

"_You_ told him I would go."

"Didn't you see how much Jack wanted you to go? I mean really, he asked you to help him study on a Friday afternoon, and he came back at seven. Seven on a Friday night. Oh yeah," she continued, seeing Hikari's face, "that was because he is so dedicated to academics."

"Okay, so he wanted me to go. Why do you want me to go? It's at Michael's frat. You and Michael aren't exactly…friends right now."

Mimi waved her hand dismissively. "Should I hide in my room moping just because he cheated on me with that sorority whore? I think not. I'm going to go out, have fun, wear something that shows off my best assets, and show that lousy bastard that I'm over him."

Hikari sighed. She was defeated. There was no reasoning with Mimi when she had her determined face on, and her determined face was most definitely on now. "Alright. But I'm borrowing something to wear. I didn't grab anything before we left the dorm."

"'Course. You know, it will be much better after Christmas break, when you move in here. No more dorms, no more Melanie. Too bad you didn't remember talk to your mom about moving into apartment this semester."

"Ouch, Mi," Hikari pouted. "Trust me, I wish I'd talked to my mom before she paid for the dorm room as much as you do." She disappeared into the closet for a moment. She reemerged as she pulled over her head a long sleeve dark green shirt. "How's this?"

Mimi bit her thumb nail, judging Hikari's outfit. "Well, you won't have a drunk blanket on when we walk back so long sleeve is appropriate, the color looks good on you, and, most importantly, your breasts look amazing. I approve."

Hikari shook her head and pulled the shirt up to cover some of her cleavage. "Must you make me self-conscious?"

Mimi laughed. She grabbed her shoulder bag and took one last look in the mirror. "Like it's a bad thing to have boobs. You know you like having them. Come on," she said, not allowing Hikari time to respond, "let's get going."

The fraternity house was ten minutes from Mimi's apartment, but even if they hadn't known exactly where to go, they would have been able to follow the noise from the next street over.

The front door was propped open and one of the brothers was standing on the porch collecting money. "Hi Hikari, Mimi, I didn't think I'd see you guys tonight."

"Why is that?" Mimi asked defensively.

"I just, uh, I wasn't sure you'd heard about it, that's all," he stammered. "Anyway, go on in."

"Thank you," Mimi replied, returning to her usual sweet self.

Hikari and Mimi mingled together for a while before separating. Mimi ran into a guy from one of her classes and Hikari found a couple of friends from her dance team.

Two hours in Hikari was halfway through drinking her second glass of punch. One of the brothers, Peter, approached holding a double shot glass in his hands. "Alright Hikari, it's time for you to take the plunge." He handed the shot glass to Hikari.

She frowned up at him. "Are you saying I have to drink this?"

"Yes ma'am. It's spiced rum, easy to drink straight. It's your junior year. You're way past due for a few shots and a ride to tipsy town."

"Is that what they call it?" Hikari asked, holding the glass up and smelling the drink. She crinkled her nose. "I'd rather not—."

"I won't take no for an answer."

She bit down on her lip. "Alright," she said finally, "but I have to turn around if I'm going to do this. I don't want to you to make fun of me when my face scrunches up."

"Fine, fine," he said, twirling his index finger in a circular motion.

Hikari turned and quickly poured the rum into her glass. Then she raised it to her lips and slowly tipped it up, tilting her head back as she did. She forced a shiver through her body and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before turning back around.

"Ha ha! Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Mildly disgusting," she replied as she handed the glass back.

It was another fifteen minutes before a second brother, Dylan, walked up to her with another double shot of spiced rum. Hikari took it from him, suspicious now. Again she refused to drink it without turning around, and again she poured it into her glass.

Michael stopped by five minutes later. "Hikari, you enjoying yourself?"

She smiled wide. "It's a great party."

"'Kari, are you drunk?" he asked, opening his eyes wide in accusation.

"I might be getting there," she replied. "Although I don't know how much I've had. How many would get me drunk?"

Michael only smiled and handed her a single shot. "You can never have too much," he said before walking away.

"Hikari, what are you doing?" one of her friends asked after Michael was out of earshot. She had seen Hikari 'drink' the last time, but hadn't said anything about it.

"Figuring out what they're up to," Hikari answered, turning to the side and tipping the single shot into her drink before placing both on a nearby table. She watched Michael as he wove around the party guests, until he met up with Peter. They spoke for a minute, then Michael headed into the kitchen and Peter began walking back in her direction.

"Looks like you're going to find out," her friend said as Peter approached.

"Hikari, can I steal you?"

"Do you want us to come?" her friend whispered.

She shook her head softly. "Sure! What's up?"

"Jack sent me to find you."

Hikari followed as they coiled around the groups of people until they reached the kitchen. "Back there," Peter said, pointing.

Jack was at the back door, helping drag a second keg into the house. "Hikari," he said brightly. "I was hoping to talk to you. Come with me?"

Hikari followed Jack out the backdoor. The air had cooled considerably since she'd arrived at the house. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly. But it wasn't just a shiver. Her body suddenly filled with a sense of dread. Again she found herself thinking that something was happening. Like someone was watching her…

"'Kari?"

Hikari's eyes darted upwards. "Sorry, Jack, I was…distracted."

"Are you having a good time? I was looking for you earlier, but I didn't see you."

Hikari rubbed her arms. "Yeah. It's been fun. Um, is there a reason you wanted to go outside?"

"I just thought we should get away from the noise for a minute." He waved her closer. As she walked forward, Jack moved in as well, and they ended up standing closer than Hikari wanted. "Hikari, there's something I wanted to tell you."

She said nothing but waited for him to continue. Jack opened his mouth to speak again, but ended up closing it. Instead he leaned closer to her, took her hand from her shoulder, and placed her palm against his pants.

Hikari's eyes widened and she wrenched her hand free. "You wanted to tell me you have an erection!?"

"I, well, yeah, Michael said—."

"Michael? What, did he tell me that your friends were getting me drunk so you could make a move and maybe I'd have sex with you?"

"More or less," he said, sounding guilty. "It's just, well, he said if you loosened up a little you wouldn't act like such a prude. I—oh—I didn't mean to say it like that."

She didn't know what to say to him. She glared at him for a second before turning and hurrying back into the house. She ignored Jack as he called her back, hoping that he wasn't going to try to stop her. Pushing through the crowd of people, Hikari tried to find Mimi. It took a minute before she spotted her friend among all the people.

"Mimi!"

Mimi was standing with a tall, dark haired boy, clearly flirting. Her head turned upon hearing her name. "Hika, there you are. This is Tom; he's in my advanced cooking class. Hey, are you alright?"

Hikari shook her head. "I just realized that we don't have any _Special K_."

Mimi looked confused but her features soon became serious. "Oh, _Special K_. We should getting going then, pick some up on our way home." She turned to Tom, who was clearly confused, quickly found a pen in her purse, and took his hand to write her number down. "Call me sometime."

Mimi took Hikari's arm and they walked out together. "What happened that the escape code word was needed?"

* * *

Demon was touring his new undersea palace. Up to now everything had been as expected; the dungeon, throne room, grand entrance, servants' quarters, bedrooms, and kitchen were all as they should be, but there were a number of corridors unexpectedly branching out from beyond the throne room. "Where does this lead?"

"Dagomon's private study was down there. Few of us have ever seen it."

"What did he do there?"

"It was where he spent most of his time. He used it to observe and study the Human World. He liked to watch a girl."

Demon sneered. "He spent his time watching a human girl? What was wrong with him that he needed to spy on a human?"

"She was supposed to be our queen, Master. We brought her here once but she did not want to rule us. She has a power within her that Dagomon wanted to use to free the Dark Area from the Digimon Kaiser."

_The Digimon Kaiser_. Demon recognized the name. It was the name of the boy he had tried to pour his dark energy into. "She is one of the Chosen. Take me to the study."

The Hangyomon led the way down several hallways. There were a number of doors lining each corridor. Demon had no idea how the Hangyomon knew which door to choose.

Three quarters down the fifth hall they'd turned into, the Hangyomon stopped and pointed to the door on the left. "In here, Master."

The room was lined with shelves of books, most of them from the Human World. The center of the floor was a glass circle. "There's sand in the box on the desk. Take a handful and throw it on the glass."

Demon crossed the room and opened the box on the otherwise clear desk. Dipping his hand in, he grabbed some sand and tossed it on the ground.

Immediately the glass became like a liquid, the sand particles dripped down as the clear floor began to move in a circular motion. As it sped up, the center was drawn up towards the ceiling. It spread left and right as it rose.

It was like looking at a television. A scene appeared as the glass solidified again, people were moving in a crowded room. A girl came into focus as she meandered around the groups of people. She was a petite brunette in a dark green shirt.

Demon watched as the girl walked outside with a boy. He could feel that she was uncomfortable, cold, unsure. He could feel the boy's lust and desire for her. They talked for a couple minutes, until the boy took her hand and placed it just below his belt. His eyes narrowed as he began to understand the situation.

She was angry now. And afraid. Demon found himself enjoying feeling her fear. The girl walked away from the boy and as she did, the vision began to fade. The glass broke into countless pieces and dropped to the ground.

"What happened? Why did it stop?" He demanded, looking at the smooth clear floor.

"Sometimes she senses that she is being watched and blocks herself from view," the Hangyomon answered with hesitation.

"She is the Chosen Child of Light, isn't she?"

"Yes she is, Master."

* * *

Japanese : English

Demon : Daemon

Dagomon : Dragomon

Hangyomon : Divermon


End file.
